“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!”

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you – yes, I help you.” Isa 41:10 (NET Translation)

This is not a case of “if you do A then I will do B”. It is God telling us what he will do so never fear. Interestingly enough what is not in this reassurance is the promise of removal from tough times. You can say that in “yes, I help you.” is the promise of removal but I am not convinced that is what is meant by help. What God is promising is that He is with you and will give you the strength to endure and will help you through the challenge. Why wouldn’t He remove us from the trouble? God may, but if we connect this with 1 Peter 1:6-7 we see that trials are part of our sanctification and more importantly necessary. As a refiners fire takes the impurities out of gold, trials will take our faith and strengthen it.